Student Dies in Tragic Fall at Penn Tower

A Penn State student died at approximately 3:43 a.m. Saturday after he fell off a balcony on the ninth floor of Penn Tower, the State College Police Department confirmed.

Conor F. Macmannis, 20, was pronounced dead shortly after the Centre County Coroner’s Office arrived. Homicide has been ruled out but police are not sure what led to the fall.

Investigators are conducting interviews with people who witnessed the fall at Penn Tower, 255 E. Beaver Ave. Police say drugs and alcohol appear to have been a factor.

The cause of death will be released after the autopsy is conducted. A toxicology test should be completed in the next few days.

“It’s tragic,” said Penn State spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz. “We’re trying to come to grips with it ourselves. It’s just so sad.”

Mountz also mentioned that Penn State will reach out to students who may have known or been close to Macmannis. She added that Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is available for anyone who needs counseling.

Macmannis was a kinesiology major and a member of the track and field team at Penn State Behrend before coming to University Park.

Jessica Tully recently graduated from Penn State with degrees in journalism and political science. She is a frequent contributor to StateCollege.com and has also reported for USA TODAY, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Onward State and The Daily Collegian.
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Good morning from Beaver Stadium where the Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4, 2-3) are set to face the Purdue Boilermakers (1-8, 0-5) this afternoon. Penn State enters the game coming off of a 24-10 loss to Minnesota on the road last Saturday. Zach Zwinak carried the ball 27 times for 146 yards and a touchdown but the team simply could not put it together.